Core Nutrition Core ZZZ Review: Sweet Dreams, Brother!

Ingredients Profile

Sleep is crucial. We cannot stress this enough. If you are not getting deep REM sleep or at least 6 hours of sleep a night, you are going to struggle to obtain your goals. Sleep aids are gaining popularity as they not only allow you to achieve deep sleep, but also can aid in growth hormone production.

Core ZZZ starts with 3g of GABA. GABA is a common ingredient found in “anabolic” sleep aids as at the dosage of 3-5g can help increase the secretion of growth hormone in your body. Your body releases the most growth hormone during sleep, the addition of GABA aids that process. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, it may reduce anxiety helping us fall asleep quicker.

L-Glycine is used at 3g. Glycine is an amino acid that aids in muscle building. It is also used to help treat sleep problems. Glycine is a common ingredient used in sleep aids to help the supplement user get better quality of sleep. The dosages that have been studied that lead to better sleep and reduction in daytime fatigue is 3-5g.

L-Tryptophan comes in at 1g. Trytophan is the chemical released from the body after a big Thanksgiving dinner that makes you tired. Trytophan supports quality sleep. Tryptophan is converted to Niacin in the body, which promotes serotonin, a neurotransmitter that’s associated with sleep. This is a massive dosage of Tryptophan.

We also get a full gram (1g) of Phenibut. Phenibut supports a deep REM sleep cycle. Most effective and safe dosages of Phenibut are 750mg-1,000mg.  This is also one of our favorite ingredients, although it is not for everyone. We caution new users to start at 250mg-500mg to assess tolerance. Phenibut can also be addictive, so do not take this every night. 

L-Ornithine HCl is used at 400mg. Ornithine plays a central role in the urea cycle, functioning along with Arginine and Citrulline to rid the body of ammonia, which can cause muscle fatigue and soreness. Ornithine can help with muscle recovery. Ornithine is also connected to better sleep. In a study, they found that supplementing with Ornithine reduced cortisol levels from reduction in stress and anxiety which lead to better sleep. In this study, participants took 400mg of Ornithine or a placebo. Ornithine can be taken daily up to 6g, but the previous study mentioned verifies 400mg is sufficient for sleep quality.

Mucunua Pruriens Extract (standardized to 50% L-Dopa) is dosed at 250mg. Mucana Pruriens has been shown to increase L-DOPA levels. Increase in L-DOPA results in mood elevation. Typical dosages of Mucana Pruriens are 200mg-500mg per day.

L-Theanine, known as the relaxation ingredient, is dosed at 200mg. We typically find this at 100mg. 

Lastly, we get 5mg of Melatonin. This is a big dosage of Melatonin. Melatonin helps achieve a deeper sleep. Melatonin is used in a lot of sleep aids from 1mg-5mg.

Overall, every ingredient is well-dosed in Core ZZZ and they all contribute to either sleep or muscle building. Although we like the 1g dosage of Phenibut, it may have been more versatile at 750mg. Melatonin at 5mg is too much for some too, but again we liked it. This is one of the best profiles on paper we’ve seen in a sleep aid.

Effectiveness

For us, you essentially get guaranteed REM sleep every time you take Core ZZZ. The only negative to that is, it makes you want to take it daily, which we DO NOT recommend. In the entirety of the container, we woke up maybe 1-2 times to go to the bathroom (which is a good thing) but other than that you are OUT. In our experience you don’t wake up groggy either…but again that can come down to your tolerance to Phenibut. 

Deep sleep alone, without ingredients like Glycine and GABA can lead to improved muscular recovery, but you just feel better when you wake up from using this product versus not using it. We wish we had one of those sleep trackers to track deep sleep as we are confident that we get some of the best sleep we’ve ever had using this.

Overall, this is a strong sleep aid, but if you can tolerate it, you will get some of the best sleep of your life.

Taste

Cherry Bomb: (8.4/10)

Let us first start by saying that this done, in fact, taste like cherry. Core did a good job of getting that flavor right. The reason they went to cherry may be to mask the ingredients used in this. With that said, we’re not the biggest fans of cherry but it was OK. Every time we take cherry before bed it reminded us of cough medicine (although this does not taste like cough syrup). We would say that the flavor profile is on-point, but if you’re not a cherry fan you may not enjoy it. At this time, this is the only flavor they have.

Mixability

Mixability was decent on Core ZZZ. We like to take it with minimal water as you don’t want to load up with liquids before bed while using a Phenibut based sleep aid (we’ve heard “accidents” can occur). There is some particles that float and some residue at the bottom, but overall it isn’t bad. It is drinkable for sure, you may need an extra splash of water to finish it.

See mixability video in which we used the official FI Cyclone Cup to mix up Core ZZZ.

Value

Core Nutritionals Core ZZZ is a 20-serving sleep aid, versus many of the 30-serving sleep aids on the market. With that said, their price point is lower at $44, which it should be. That is roughly $2.20 a serving. This is a bit higher than others, however they do have clinical dosages of every ingredient. If you want a sleep aid that not only gets you to deep REM sleep, but also aids in GH production and muscle recovery, Core ZZZ is a solid choice for that. The only thing we wish it had was more flavor options.